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Vaughn-Furlow: Build a culture for success

The culture of your business depicts values, beliefs and attitudes that characterize your company and guide your business practices. It is further articulated in your mission or vision statement and integrated into goals and objectives for the company and embraced by the members of the staff.

The company's employees and management interact and handle all business transactions within the guidelines established that should permeate behaviors. In larger businesses or corporations it is specifically defined and communicated. In some smaller businesses the culture may be implied. It develops organically over time from the cumulative traits of management and is reflected in the people hired by the company.

Approaches to hiring, training, strategies, long-range and short-term planning, standards, attitudes, customer services, etc. are all reflective of its nature. It is the soul of the company. That is why it is so important and grows success by nurturing, feeding and care. It is even more important in these challenging times. The cornerstone of successful companies and brands is a strong emotional connection to customers. This can bring a business and its customers closer, but it first requires getting your own employees involved.

You can ask yourself some questions to determine your sense of community. Applying the same traits that bind a family works in a similar way in a business. It is the common memories and goals that weave a strong sense of belonging to most families, and organizations are no different. Great stories of accomplishments and successful feats will emotionally connect employees to their company and result in a strong sense of pride and identity.

All areas of operations, sales, finance, planning, development, etc. must be included in order to be successful. Establishing a high-performance culture requires commitment from the top and consistent communications. From new employee orientation to all projects and daily operations, it is essential to become truly meaningful and successful. Everyone should be very clear about who you are and what you stand for so that all interactions reflect the company culture. Incorporate this into your employee website or handbook. Use testimonials of staff members from all positions to create a very powerful message that will be heard and understood.

Some of the values and benefits realized will include:

Teamwork and collaboration.

Talent development.

Customer-building relationships.

Growth, strategy and execution.

Having fun at work.

Retention and sustainability.

Client-focused work ethic.

Freedom to make decisions and mistakes.

Overall higher levels of success.

Sometimes in the past, culture has been a topic that has not received the respect it deserves. It is time to change that and reconsider all the benefits both internally and externally.